Seamless sun sock



Aug. 11, 1964 c. 1-, SMITH SEAMLESS sum SOCK Filed 001:. 21. 1963 ATTORNEYS I INVENTOR T. SMITH FIG.4

CHARLIE United States Patent 3,143,870 SEAMLESS SUN SOCK Charlie T. Smith, Nashville, Tenn., assignor to May Hosiery Mills, Nashville, Tenn. Filed Oct. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 317,727 5 Claims. (Cl. 66-170) This invention relates to the production of knitted fabric to be used in the manufacture of wearing apparel of various shapes and sizes as well as articles without appreciable unsightly and uncomfortable seams.

The invention relates particularly to the production of seamless articles including hosiery either of the stretch or nonstretch variety and having certain portions disposed angularly relative to other portions to obtain the configuration desired in such a manner that the angularly disposed portions will be knit together so that such hosiery will be substantially seamless.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial Number 199,537, filed June 1, 1962.

Heretofore in the manufacture of hosiery including specifically socks which cover only the soles and a limited portion of the sides of the feet and in similar articles which also cover the tops, different segments of the finished article have been individually produced and subsequently assembled and connected by seams or the like to obtain the finished article, there having been no prior provision for the production of a seamless article having certain portions disposed angularly relative to other portions.

It is an object of the invention to provide seamless knitted articles having certain portions with loops of body thread disposed angularly relative to the loops of body thread of other portions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sock of a length that its top always will be below the ankle of the wearer and concealed when a low-cut or Oxford-type shoe is worn.

A further object of the invention is to provide a relatively short or low sock having a plurality of gores knit together in a manner to be seamless.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the sock of the present invention;

FIG. 2, a side elevation thereof;

FIG. 3, a top perspective of the sock in use; and

FIG. 4, a bottom perspective thereof.

Briefly stated the present invention is a sock which when worn will be contained within a low or Oxford-type shoe and substantially will be invisible to the eye and such sock has a plurality of gores with the loops of body thread of each gore disposed at an angle to the loops of body thread of adjacent gores and such gores are knit together without an enlarged sewn-in seam.

With continued reference to the drawing, the present invention is a seamless sun sock which will be substantially invisible when worn within low or Oxford-type shoes. The sock is produced on an independent needle circular knitting machine having two groups of needles mounted about the circumference of a cylinder. Each of the groups contains substantially the same number of needles with the needles of the second group having jacks disposed in alignment therewith which are engageable with a jack cam when desired. The needles may be moved to active and inactive positions by conventional cams and by narrowing and widening picks. The yarn loops, carried by needles which have been moved to inactive position, are retained on such needles and are not knit off.

In the production of a seamless sun sock 10, an upper 3,143,870 Patented Aug. 11, 1964 "ice portion 11 is knit with all of the needles in active position and with the cylinder rotating continuously in a conventional manner. At the completion of the upper portion 11, the pattern chain or drum of the machine moves the jack cam into operation and causes the jacks to raise the second group of needles to inactive position. Simultaneously the machine is clutched and the cylinder is caused to oscillate approximately 1 /2 revolutions alternately forward and in reverse. Conventional narrowing picks are put into action to progressively move the terminal needles of the active group to inactive position and knit the heel portion 12 including a first gore portion 13 along the suture line A to B.

After the first gore portion 13 is completed, the pattern chain or drum takes the narrowing picks out of action and moves widening picks into action. The widening picks move the terminal needles of the inactive needles into knitting position until all of the needles of the first group and approximately of the needles of the second group are in knitting position and a second gore portion 14 has been knit. The gore portion 14 is connected to the gore portion 13 along the seamless suture line A to B and is connected to the upper portion 11 along the line A to C.

At the completion of the second gore portion 14, the pattern drum again moves the jack cam into operative position and all of the needles of the second group are moved to inoperative position while the cylinder continues to oscillate. As soon as the needles of the second group have been raised to inoperative position the jack cam is moved out of action and the widening picks continue to move terminal inactive needles into operative position to form a third gore portion along the seamless suture line D to C. The cylinder continues to oscillate while the widening picks continue to place terminal inactive needles into action so that the third gore portion 15 is connected to the upper portion 11 along the line C to B.

After the third gore portion has been completed the pattern drum causes the widening picks to be taken out of action, a pull down cam lowers the remaining inactive needles into knitting position and the machine is declutched so that the cylinder will rotate in a conventional manner. A foot portion 16 is then knit with such foot portion being connected to the third gore portion 15 and to the upper portion 11. At the completion of the foot portion, a toe portion 17 is knit in a conventional manner and is sewed together along a seam 19.

If desired the upper portion 11 may have an elastic thread or cord 18 laid in such a manner that the upper portion 11 will have a ribbed effect.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A sock to be worn with and substantially hidden by low-cut shoes comprising an upper portion, a heel portion,

multiple gore portions connected to said upper portion and to each other along knitted seamless suture lines, one of said gore portions being connected to said heel portion along a knitted seamless suture line whereby a low-cut sock is provided without ridges.

2. An article of hosiery to be worn with and substantially hidden by low-cut shoes comprising an upper portion, a heel portion connected to said upper portion, at least one gore portion connected to said heel portion and said upper portion along a knitted seamless suture line, a foot portion connected to said gore portion and said upper portion along a knitted seamless suture line, and a toe portion connected to said foot portion.

3. The structure of claim 2 in which said upper portion has elastic thread incorporated therein.

4. An article of hosiery of a size to cover the foot below the ankle of the wearer comprising an upper portion having elastic yarn therein, a heel portion connected to said-upper portion, a plurality of gore portions connected to each other along knitted seamless suture lines and to the upper portion by knitted seamless connections, one of said gore portions being connected to said heel portion part of the length thereof, saidheel portion including a 15 first gore portion connected to part of said upper portion, a second gore portion connected to said first gore portion and to part of said upper portion along a knitted seamless along a seamless suture line, a foot portion connected to 10 23094 5 and a toe portion connected to said foot portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Sheppard Mar. 22, 1949 1,216,374 Smith Feb. 20, 1917 1,544,934 Prankard July 7, 1925 1,872,964 Katzenmoyer Aug. 23, 1932 1,936,064 Mills Nov. 21, 1933 2,170,076 Houseman Aug. 22, 1939 2,330,199 Bosch Sept. 28, 1943 2,623,374 Hinchman Dec. 30, 1952 2,694,306 Hiller Nov. 16, 1954 3,028,739

Marlette et al "Apr. 10, 1962 

1. A SOCK TO BE WORN WITH AND SUBSTANTIALLY HIDDEN BY LOW-CUT SHOES COMPRISING AN UPPER PORTION, A HEEL PORTION, MULTIPLE GORE PORTIONS CONNECTED TO SAID UPPER PORTION AND TO EACH OTHER ALONG KNITTED SEAMLESS SUTURE LINES, ONE OF SAID GORE PORTIONS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID HEEL PORTION ALONG A KNITTED SEAMLESS SUTURE LINE WHEREBY A LOW-CUT SOCK IS PROVIDED WITHOUT RIDGES. 